COURTESY OF THE ELECTRIC COMPANY

In a way we're kinda glad we weren't at the farm to see this thing coming through the yard!

It certainly is quite surreal, driving through the front yard of the farm.

(click play on the video below)

By the way, ignore the date on here.  I changed the batteries on the trailcam and forgot to reset the date/time.  It obviously wasn't 91 degrees back in January, ha.  This was last week.  

The electric co-op for our area comes every couple of years and trims everything and anything that is near the power lines.  

The whole "utility easement" rule and all...

They went along the fence line on the West side of the property and then all the way to the back corner.  It's actually nice because they cleared a spot that I had been meaning to get to.  Now I just have to keep it mowed.  

They also did a wide swath all along the front by the road.  You can see in this picture how we need a fence.  There is, sort of, the remnants of an old fence but it offers no security at all.  We need to have it removed (it's old barbed wire) and then have a nice new fence put in. 

Here it is from driveway looking all along the front of the property.  Yep, that whole length is ours all the way to the furthest point in the picture, just past that third power pole.

I'm going to have to try and keep it mowed just so that the new fence will be easier to set up.  In this heat though, it isn't easy to work up the energy to do extra work, ha. 

By the way, a few of you have asked, there is a blog post about them when we got them, but here is the link, these are the trail cams that we are using:

BlazeVideo 16MP HD 1080P Trail Cam

We bought them last year on Amazon Prime Day, where they were pretty much buy one/get one. Today is actually Amazon Prime Day.  We have no idea if they will be on sale this year again but there may be others if you are so inclined to look.  We love having the cams up and may grab a couple more today if they (or others) go on sale.

Happy Monday!

MAILBOX CRASH, HEAT, VEGGIES AND RAIN WEEKEND UPDATE

It was a busy weekend and hotter than Hell.  Ugh.  

First up was this project.  We got a message from 2nd Family the other night.  To quote "J", some inebriated BillyBob crashed into the ditch, took out both of the mailboxes, posts and all, and then was somehow able to drive off!

So "R" is building some new posts and all we had to do was get the mailbox and make it ready. So after mowing, I sat on the porch and got the numbers put on both sides of the box.  Next weekend we'll get to see the end result.  Now we just have to hope they stay up for a few years without a drunk driver taking them out again.

This was our harvest for the weekend (I knew cukes would start coming in!) and so we decided to give all these to 2nd Family as a thank you so they could enjoy the results as well.  "J" said cucumber salad was on the menu.  Not sure I've ever had cucumber salad but I'll see if I can find out how she does it.  

The day started out clear (and hot).  I mowed AND edged.  I realized it takes almost as long to edge everything as it does to mow.  The mowing was about an hour and a half (this time) and the edging was an hour and fifteen minutes, stopping of course to refuel and put on new string for the trimmer.

I have to edge around the perimeter of the house.  Then then the garden fence.  Then the citrus trees. Then the flowerbeds.  Then the 8 raised beds of the fruit trees.  And lastly the barn and the shed.  Then I put the trimmer up in the shed and it's all done.  It looks so much better when it's done but damn, that part is a lot of work.  And I skipped the fence line and the trees down the driveway.  I just didn't have it in me in this heat. 

The mower is a Zen Machine.  

The weedeater is most definitely NOT Zen.

Took a break on the porch, 2nd Man was reading a cookbook in the living room and we heard thunder.  It started getting darker, cloudier and you could smell rain on the wind. We checked the radar and storms were coming.

We packed up, got in the car and by the time we got to the freeway, it was pouring.  Perfect timing.  FYI, I was driving, 2nd Man took the photo, ha.  

Hope you are having a great weekend!

ANY SUPERSTITIONS ON THIS FRIDAY THE 13TH

tris·kai·dek·a·pho·bi·a

"A fear of the number 13"

There are two Friday the 13th's this year.  A lot of people think it's an unlucky day and are genuinely nervous about it.  To us, it's just another day.  I will admit though that while I personally don't have any that really freak me out, if I see a ladder over a sidewalk, I will NOT walk under it, and I will actually knock on wood if I say something that requires it.  I mean really, why take the chance?  LOL!  

  But we don't worry about the number 13, we step on cracks, we've opened umbrellas indoor and, um, we are OWNED by a black cat, ha.
(edited thanks to KCD)

Speaking of, just recently we heard a superstition we had NEVER heard of before.  "If you cut your nails at night, it will attract ghosts and evil spirits". Um, OK...

What are YOU superstitious about?

WASH TUB IN FLOWER BED INSPIRATION THURSDAY

Every Thursday we like to post a picture of something we've found online that inspires us to do something similar at the farm. Sort of our own blog bulletin board so that we can eventually look back and someday, hopefully anyway, recreate it...enjoy!

We like this display of plants and flowers.  I actually love the washtub, my Grandmother had two just like it and she used them for the same thing, sort of plants and just as a yard decor.  Well, I take that back, ORIGINALLY she actually USED them to wash clothes. It was only later after they got their first washer that she had to use them for something else.  Funny side note, she still refused to get a dryer, she liked the clothesline. What I wouldn't give for pictures of her house when everything was in bloom.  I need to look through some old photo albums one of these days.

Anyway, we were thinking about something like this around the sides of the barn and/or shed.   

Be inspired!

OVEN ROASTED BLUEBERRIES

Recently, I found some articles online about roasting fruit in the oven.  I thought it might be nice to try since 2nd Man was going to make a pound cake for the 4th of July.

Fresh blueberries

I started with a package of fresh blueberries.

This is 2 cups total.  

Blueberries on sheet pan 

I put them on a sheet pan.  I put foil down first to seal off the pan and then parchment paper on top of that.  This keeps them off the foil but also keeps the pan spotless (and this process is messy for sure).

Toss the blueberries with 1 tsp sugar and a couple pinches of salt.  Yes.  Salt.  It really brings out the flavor and makes for a nice balance.

Roasted blueberries

Roast for 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until the berries begin to burst.  At about 10 minutes, I pulled the pan out and stirred them around.

 Roasted blueberry topping

When done, pour them off the parchment and be sure to scrape off that delicious syrup that is pooling just underneath the berries.

It's funny, I looked around for a container and then realized, um, hello, MASON JAR!

Red white and blueberry pound cake

This batch was destined for our red white and blueberry pound cake dessert.  

We did both strawberries and blueberries (two separate pans) and it's amazing that 2 cups and/or 1 pound cook down to this small amount.  But wow is it ever good.  Great topping for not just pound cake but also pancakes or waffles, ice cream, we even had some as a topping on homemade bread with a little butter.  2nd Man said it was like a rich jam, which in a way I guess it was.  Fruit, sugar, roasting until pectin starts thickening it.  

Will post the strawberries process next week. 

PLANTING THE PINEAPPLE

Remember a few weeks back when we started rooting some pineapple cuttings in glass jars?  It was time to plant them in actual soil.

Rooting a pineapple

You can see the roots developed nicely. I pulled them out and fluffed them open a bit.  

Planting a rooted pineapple

And then just put it in some potting soil and got it all tucked in and ready to go.  We have two.

Now the last time we tried this, they did great until the freeze when we forgot to put them inside.  We won't make that mistake again.  

We actually did this a couple of weeks ago, they are on the porch and are putting on some new leaves.  Since pineapples have a long lifespan before they produce, we'll keep them in these pots until they are big enough to put in the ground.  Or possibly we'll just put them in larger pots. Need to read up on that.  

Anyone ever grown pineapples like this?

WEEKEND UPDATE GOOD FOOD DARK SKIES AND MOWING

Caution, food porn ahead (ha):

For breakfast, homemade biscuits with bacon and cheese (and mayo on mine)...

One of the roads to the farm used to just be regular blacktop, no stripes, kind of bumpy, a few potholes. Since last weekend though, it has changed to a nice smooth black asphalt surface with actual stripes!

Our tax dollars at work!

When we got to the farm it was blue skies and slightly cooler.  I mowed but after the 4" of rain we received over the last week, I had to avoid the the areas with standing water.  Plenty of those!

For example, this is the driveway.  I couldn't mow down each side because that is where the water drains toward the road. 

It started getting more humid and darker and the sky took on an odd color.

It was time to head back into town. 

Steak dinner

Delayed photos of our 4th of July dinner.

Steak and broccolini.

Red, white and blueberry pound cake

2nd Man made homemade pound cake, I roasted some berries in the oven (instructions coming soon) and we did our own red, white and blueberry dessert!

Today is rain.  

Hope you are having a good weekend!

HARVEST SATURDAY

Garden is still giving us a few things...

Veggie harvest

...here is what we got today before the rains came.

Three cucumbers, eight jalapeños, and sixteen banana peppers.  Tomatoes are done.  Eggplants are done.  May have a few more yellow squash next weekend but that will be it for them too.  We are still getting lots of herbs.

Most likely, I'll be pulling up several of the plants next weekend and dreaming/planning for Fall.

More tomorrow!   

FARMHOUSE WALL HANGINGS

As a heads up, if anyone is interested, we were at Walmart the other day and they had these on sale.  Of course I couldn't resist.

This little piggy...

This creamery cow...we're not sure why they didn't include the butcher cuts on this one like the pig and chicken, but I guess we get other things from cows. 

Milk, ice cream and butter, we're ok with that!

("cheese" should be there too, ha). 

And of course chicken... 

They are not glass, they are a plexiglass kind of plastic but they look really cool.  Best of all, they were only $3.88 each.

Not bad for some fun kitchen decor!

And here they are put up in the kitchen.  We had this blank spot on the wall next to the stove. The funny thing is, with the hanging being clear with white graphics, when we put them on another wall, a white wall, and looked at them, um, you couldn't read/see anything, ha.  This dark wood wall was perfect. 

Sometimes, you find something neat when you least expect it.

RED WHITE BLUE FLOWERS INSPIRATION THURSDAY

Every Thursday we like to post a picture of something we've found online that inspires us to do something similar at the farm. Sort of our own blog bulletin board so that we can eventually look back and someday, hopefully anyway, recreate it...enjoy!

Red white and blue hanging basket, image via southernliving.com

Since yesterday was the 4th, we thought a color theme inspiration Thursday was appropriate.  Love red white and blue flower displays, whether hanging in a stunning basket like above...

Red white and blue flower bed image via Pinterest

...or this in ground display of red white and blue.  We've always liked the idea of using flowers in a theme like this.  So many ideas for different holidays.

Be inspired!